Ocean Zen has a sleek, modern aesthetic, making it a good choice for a lunch or dinner date. / Jess Heugel/For the News-Leader

Ryan Perkins

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Reader Ryan Perkins grew up in Springfield, and he jokes that he knows everyone. The Tan brothers of the Ocean Zen empire — John and Johnson — went to Parkview High School with Ryan’s brother, so when they started opening restaurants, it was a given that this Springfield native would patronize the local restaurants, including his favorite, Ocean Zen.

Ryan's Take

“Johnson (Tan) is an incredible chef,” Ryan says. “He gets a lot of his recipes from his grandma.” Other than the food, though, Ryan enjoys the aesthetic of Ocean Zen — the huge fish tank, the lighting. “It’s a cool looking restaurant,” he says. “You can tell the Tans put a lot of money into it.”

Ryan’s favorite part of the Tans’ cooking is the East meets West fusion.“Johnson ... is renowned because of his fusion techniques,” he says. We want appetizers and an entrée, but we know we have to at least have one sushi roll. Ryan picks the Crazy Monkey Roll ($13.95). “I don’t know what’s in it, but let’s get it because it’s called a Crazy Monkey Roll,” he jokes. The roll contains spicy crab, shrimp tempura and salmon and is topped with mango and mango aioli. “Holy cow,” he says after one bite. “Wow, that is awesome.” He loves the mix of the sweet mango with the spiciness of the crab.

While we wait for our entrée, the Asiago Cheese Dusted Crispy Panko Chicken ($9.95), we try two appetizers: the Peppercorn-Crusted Seared Rare Ahi Tuna ($11.95) and Island Style Crispy Coconut Sesame Crusted Shrimp ($7.95). “Food like this makes me happy,” Ryan says. The tuna is great, he says, and he’s surprised that it leaves a smoky aftertaste, almost like bacon. “That’s amazing.” Ryan calls the coconut shrimp an “Asian corn dog,” and he jokes that more meats need to come on a stick. “It’s his Pacific Rim technique,” he says of the flavor.

Ryan notices the same fusion of flavor when we get our chicken. He comments on the combination of flavors in the panko-crusted chicken — East — served on top of mashed potatoes and country gravy. Plus, he says, the presentation is beautiful. We’ve already eaten so much that we share the dish, since we’re full from the appetizers and sushi.

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Katie's Take

The Tans have several restaurant options for those who want their signature fusion tastes. My wallet usually tells me to go to Five Spice China Grill, as it has a lower price point than Ocean Zen or Flo Eatery & Wine Bar, though Flo does have budget-friendly, delicious happy hour food and drink specials.

Ocean Zen has a beautiful, sleek aesthetic and would be a great restaurant for a lunch or dinner date. It works for the casual and formal crowd.

At Ocean Zen, sushi is a must, and I let Ryan pick. The Crazy Monkey Roll looks as amazing as it tastes. The entire roll is covered in red panko crumbs, and that crunch goes so well with the smooth sushi rice. The spicy crab gives it a flavorful kick, but it’s balanced by the sweetness of the mango aioli.

I personally don’t enjoy seared tuna dishes, so I let Ryan have that one. I do taste it, and the idea that it tastes like bacon is lost on me, but Ryan enjoys it.

My favorite appetizer is easily the coconut shrimp. It’s small — we only get four pieces — but it’s so good. The skewers of shrimp come atop a medley of creamy sauces. The sauces make the appetizer; I cover each bite with them. And though there are only four pieces, they’re quite large, so we’re able to enjoy a lot of shrimp flavor.

The chicken dish is my least favorite thing that we try — well, except for the tuna, but my lack of interest in tuna makes that a moot point. It still has that fusion flair, but I would like more Asiago savory flavor in the crust of the chicken. It’s certainly crispy and delicious, but I want more. The garlic mashed potatoes are made well, but again, I just want more flavor. The sushi and coconut shrimp have spoiled me.

The Dish, the Restaurant

Steven Bailey, Ocean Zen’s service manager, says the Tan brothers, John and Johnson, have a Hawaiian style with a Japanese flair. On top of that, they add a bit of French technique. “It’s East meets West with a Hawaiian background to it,” Bailey says.

Though the restaurant has a higher price point than some, it offers popular happy hour and sushi to go pricing for its patrons. From 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 8 to 10 p.m., guests can enjoy sushi, appetizer, salad and drink specials. On Friday and Saturday, specials are available from 9 to 11 p.m. “You can hit two happy hours some days,” Bailey jokes.

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The coconut shrimp that was my favorite is a perfect example of the Tans’ skill with Pacific Rim fusion.

“The dipping sauces are really what make the dish stand out so much,” Bailey says. The appetizer comes with a Thai sweet sauce and cheddar bur blanc — Ocean Zen’s version of a cheddar cream sauce — and the panko breading has coconut to give it a hint of sweetness. The appetizer comes with a fresh cucumber salad. “That lightens it up on the side,” he says.

The Ahi tuna that reminds Ryan of bacon — I still don’t get it — is pan-seared and tri-peppered. It has a rich sauce. “It’s a really creamy sauce, and chive oil adds color to the plate as well,” Bailey says.

The Crazy Monkey Roll is one of the restaurant’s spiciest rolls, because of the spicy crab. “The sauce that sets it off is the fresh mango aioli,” Bailey says. It contains house mayo with garlic, salt and pepper and is infused with fresh mangoes. “It’s a really sweet sauce.”

Our chicken dish is really the perfect example of the Tans’ style of cooking, Bailey says. “You get the Japanese from the panko bread crumbs,” he says. The Asiago sauce hits on the Tans’ love of French technique. The made in-house garlic mashed potatoes, though, give it that down-home feel. “We use mashed potatoes, because that’s what people here in the Ozarks like as well,” Bailey says.

The fusion technique isn’t new, but it does seem that in Springfield, the Tan brothers have perfected it, and they keep bringing new flavor combinations to the tables. Savory, sweet and down-home, Ocean Zen will combine them all.